00:00This Indo-Pacific leopard shark is taking its first swim in the wild.
00:05Named for its distinctive spots, it was once a common sight in the waters of Thailand.
00:10But it's been hit by the degradation of its mangrove and coral reef habitats
00:15and is also frequently caught accidentally by fishermen.
00:18All that has left the species endangered.
00:21Now conservationists are trying to change its prospects
00:24with an aquarium-to-wild breeding program
00:26that could see the leopard shark population make a comeback.
00:30Five and a half miles south-east of Phuket,
00:36members of Star Project Thailand released a leopard shark into the waters of Meiton Island.
00:41Star, or Stegostoma, Tigrinum, Augmentation and Recovery,
00:45is so-called after the leopard shark's scientific name.
00:49It is a joint initiative to breed and reintroduce the species.
00:53Metavee Chuangchorongdi is project manager.
00:56She said the leopard sharks play an important role in maintaining balance in marine ecosystems
01:01by controlling prey populations.
01:03Star Project's pups begin their journey here in this nearby private aquarium.
01:09Eggs laid by adult sharks are transferred to controlled tanks,
01:13while teams monitor development and hatching daily.
01:16As the sharks grow, they are moved to tanks suited to different stages of life.
01:21They are then transferred to the Phuket Marine Biological Centre for behavioural conditioning,
01:26including the development of natural foraging behaviours.
01:29Some are then moved to a sea pen off the pier at Meiton Resort,
01:33where they spend around eight months adjusting to natural conditions.
01:37The sea pen is built in order to acclimatise the shark to their environment,
01:41and the shark nannies are taking care of the shark daily,
01:44feeding, recording their growth and also recording their general health
01:49to be able to take care of the shark and keep them healthy and train them for the wild.
01:54Last year, the programme successfully reintroduced seven sharks.
01:59But Meta V says the success of the programme isn't just about the number of animals released.
02:04What I would call success is that I see that the leopard sharks have recovered,
02:11the divers are seeing them daily, they are breeding, we see eggs,
02:16and also they are not coming up on any market,
02:20and also their habitat is healthy,
02:24and we have a really healthy ocean coral reef ecosystem and mangrove ecosystem.
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